A new themed event "LEGO MONKIE KID Flower Fruit Mountain Adventure" at LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort opens its doors to visitors in Shanghai on April 16, 2026. Photo: VCG

Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort delivered strong results during the summer season, with the number of international visitors posting triple-digit growth, up nearly 2.5 times year-on-year, as services for international tourists continued to improve, the Global Times learned from the company on Sunday. 

As a "first stop for inbound tourism," Shanghai continues to strengthen its appeal to visitors from around the world. As the city's popularity among international tourists continues to rise, Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort is also gaining greater international recognition, according to a press release that Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort sent to the Global Times.

In response to new trends in inbound tourism, Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort has launched its international app across markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Oceania, while continuously improving its services for international visitors. 

With its proximity to Jinshanbei Railway Station, visitors can travel from the Shanghai Hongqiao transport hub to Jinshanbei in as little as 18 minutes, followed by a short shuttle ride to the resort. The entire journey from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort can take as little as 30 minutes. 

Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort is not alone. A similar trend has emerged at Shanghai L+SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort. Wang Xiaobo, assistant general manager of the resort, said that it received about 120,000 visits in July, including about 10,000 by foreign tourists, up more than 30 percent from June, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort's growing number of foreign visitors is an epitome of the city's increasing appeal to international tourists. 

In July, Shanghai immigration authorities handled 467,000 inbound foreign travelers, up 19.4 percent year-on-year, according to data from the official website of the Shanghai municipal government. Among them, 296,000 entered China under visa-free policies or the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. An increasing number of foreign visitors are no longer content with simply "checking in" at tourist attractions.

The rapid growth in foreign visitors to Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort reflects the inbound tourism boom in Shanghai and across China. With optimized visa-free policies, recovering international flights and greater travel convenience, China's inbound tourism is expanding beyond traditional sightseeing to leisure, cultural entertainment and immersive experiences, Hu Qimu, a professor at the Maritime Silk Road Institute of Huaqiao University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The trend is creating new opportunities for major cultural and tourism projects, with internationally renowned theme parks such as Shanghai Disney Resort and Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort enriching tourism offerings and unlocking consumption potential, Hu said.

Shanghai's international aviation hubs, high-speed rail network and extensive public transportation will further strengthen its role as a "first stop" in China, while regional transport links will help extend inbound tourist flows across the Yangtze River Delta and beyond, the expert said.

Global Times